Introducing chair-x, available to buy now
chair-x is a quality, multi-purpose item of children’s furniture which takes the following unique forms through simple changes to it’s configuration and placement on the floor:
- A comfortable arm chair
- A functional desk with stool
- A magnetic blackboard
chair-x is sized for children aged 3 to 7 years of age and the form of chair-x can easily be changed by parents to provide the desired function depending on the activity required for the children in typical everyday life scenarios.
chair-x is desirable to parents as it provides the same function as three traditional items of furniture which has cost and space savings benefits as peoples living spaces are being condensed and their budgets stretched
chair-x also has a lower environmental foot print as less materials are required collectively to provide the three solutions when packaged in one product.
Through clever design chair-x has an attractive and appealing appearance and arouses curiosity in children. We believe chair-x will be cherished in households and be passed through different generations of families as its design is timeless and its build quality robust.
chair-x features luxurious fabrics which are removable for cleaning, on the premium version the desktop is LG HI-MACS material which is commonly found in kitchen worktops (similar to corian), this surface is durable and easy to clean.
The chalkboard is also magnetic and features a safety catch to protect little fingers.
The body of chair-x is constructed from high grade birch plywood sourced only from sustainable and correctly managed forests.
chair-x should only be re-configured by adults not children
Accelerating to Net zero with the Circular Economy
As you may be aware ‘Net Zero’ equates to the amount of greenhouse gas emissions we put into the atmosphere versus the amount we are able to take out, of which the target is zero (or below). A target date has been set for the UK to meet net zero by the year 2050. To achieve this there are many steps business will be required to take to help achieve this goal. At this moment in time there is no legal requirement for businesses to make changes to work towards net zero however we are actively making changes now.
The primary step which we are taking is by producing products which can be used in a circular economy, this is defined below:
• Products should be designed to be long lasting. ‘Planned obsolescence’ or poor design which results in products failing prematurely creates waste and requires new products to be created.
• Products should be designed to be easily reparable by their user, through an easy-to use and fair priced repairing service provided by the manufacturer. This will reduce the temptation for the user to replace a faulty product with a new one and avoid the carbon impact of disposal and creating a new product.
• Remanufacturing is a particularly effective circular economy model with major carbon savings. By remanufacturing chair upholstery, costs can be reduced and the carbon footprint of items reduced by around 60%.
• In a perfect circular economy model, there would not be an end-of-life stage in the product lifecycle, all products would instead be continuously reused or re-purposed.
This is the ethos that we have for the chair-x products, we expect that once a household has finished in its use of our product, the product can be either:
• Sold on
• Gifted to friends
• Donated to schools at home or in third world economies
• Handed down through generations of families.
If there is wear and tear on the upholstery of the chairs following many years of use, then replacement cushions or cushion covers can be provided. If there is a change in colour preference (boy vs girl) then cushion covers in a different colour can simply be provided at relatively low cost.
If any part gets damaged we can supply a replacement part along with full instructions on how to perform the replacement.
Based on the principles of a circular economy, our aim is to keep the goods that we produce in use rather than a “use for a short-term and then dispose” approach. This is a completely different approach from what you will find from mainstream mass producers of children’s furniture where the products are produced in low quality with a cost driven approach. These products are single use products and usually end up in land fill after only a few short years of use servicing a single user.
Some steps we will be taking in the future, both in the short and the longer term are as follows:
• Using fully recycled packaging
• Fabrics and foam padding made from 100% recycled materials
• Structural panels such as the desktop made from recycled plastics
• The ability for us to buy back your product once your requirement of use for the product is completed, we will then re-purpose the product for other users.
Note: Currently all timber used on the chair-x products is ethically sourced and complies with EU Timber Regulations
For regular updates on chair-x follow the dedicated facebook page, links below: